As we all adjust to the new normal after having been sequestered in our homes, we're all finding alternate ways to make the most of our time.So let's ask ourselves: How can we use this time to get better? How can we be of service and use?
I know, without a doubt that great art is being created around the world at this very moment. Perhaps by you! Our entire team is focused 100% on whatever we can do to help you market and sell more art.
With that in mind, we're focusing FineArtViews on sales and marketing ideas more than ever before. The following article was selected from our archives as it seems quite timely in the current situation and provides ideas we think you can use to improve your own art marketing.
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In my last post, I promised to take a crack at writing BoldBrush's origin story. Here it is:
Clint Watson founded BoldBrush to solve a big problem for fine artists. Artists were dissatisfied with the slow process of working with expensive designers to create & update their artist websites. As an owner of the nationally-known Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art, Clint knew first-hand, that anything that impedes the process of sharing art with the world directly costs artists time and money. And that was a problem he knew he could solve.
The year was 2000. Clint, having begun outlining a solution to the "artist website problem", had a fateful conversation with plein-air painter, Kevin Macpherson. Kevin, frustrated with the capabilities of his first website, had noticed that Greenhouse Gallery's website was updated instantly, fully e-commerce enabled, and was already selling art online. So, while the two were planning Macpherson's next solo show, Kevin asked Clint to take over management of his website.
Believing it's better to "teach a man to fish", Clint declined. He instead offered to build a tool that would let Kevin create and update his website on his own.
Kevin, while skeptical, agreed. So Clint built his solution to the "artist website problem." And, four months later, he unveiled his new web app called "FineArtStudioOnline." Kevin tried the app and, sure enough, it turned out to be super-easy to use, and soon other artists found out about it and wanted to use it to build their websites too. It grew that way for several years.
In 2005, Clint realized that his vision of empowering all artists to share their art online would require a full-time commitment. And so he left the gallery business to focus on "FASO", which is what most artists had started calling "FineArtStudioOnline." Over the next decade, FASO grew to be the leading provider of professional artist websites. And, as Kevin Macpherson says, "it all began with Clint listening to my problems and coming up with a clever solution."
As FASO grew, our product line, our vision, and our scope also became bigger and bolder. That's when we realized we needed a more encompassing name. So, to reflect the spirit of boldness, and the beliefs that we strive to inspire in artists, we re-christened the company "BoldBrush".
The BoldBrush team today is made up of a dozen artists, art lovers, and creatives. And we still live by Clint's original philosophy: we listen to artists problems and come up with clever solutions. Because we know, as Clint realized in the beginning, that anything that impedes the process of sharing art, costs artists time and money. And to that end, we're working hard daily to lovingly craft the websites, apps, and marketing tools that empower artists to inspire the world. Become a member, and you'll experience, first-hand, The BoldBrush Difference.
Until next time, please remember that Fortune Favors the Bold Brush.
